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Story:Star Trek: Conflict/Grand Delusion
Edward Shield must save the races of the Alpha Quadrant from giving themselves over to enslavement by the Founders. Summary Chapter One Edward Shield is having a dream. In his dream, he sees many important figureheads, leaders and intellectuals of all the races of the known known galaxy - human, Vulcan, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Andorian, etc. They are standing before one figure: a . The time of ascension has come, the humanoid says. Having reached the pinnacle of their evolution, these races shall now make the final link with immortality and achieve that which has been denied them for millions of years: perfection. Some of the members are skeptical, but the alien reminds them that its race had started the evolutionary process of all their races. Shield watches as, one by one, they step forward and accept this new "ascension". With horror he sees that the aren't the benevolent progenitors of all life in the universe as they claim to be: starting with the leaders, they imprison them in biological egg sacs, where their bodies are slowly broken down to feed the . Thus all life in the galaxy and, in less than six days, the rest of the universe is utterly annihilated. He wakes up back on Beta III, where he has remained in exile these past months. He must return to civilization in order to save the galaxy from itself. Chapter Two While entering one of the destroyed towns, Shield encounters a group of Ferengi traders who usually frequent this area to trade with the "Body." However, because of the destruction, they are ready to leave the system when Shield approaches them, asking for passage off-world. They are startled, since he speaks to them in their own language, which makes them less mistrusting of him. They tell him that they will ferry him wherever he wants to go, as long as they will be paid handsomely. When they ask him where he wants to go, he says Marxus Prime (quite by accident, since he didn't even know it was a real planet, it was just the first thing that came to mind). However, his luck served him well: not only is Marxus Prime a planet but, according to what the Ferengi whisper among themselves, one of great wealth. They decide that going there would not only make up for the loss of business here on Beta III, but would give them opportunities for more acquisition than usual. They agree to allow him passage to Marxus Prime. Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, Federation scientists have discovered a planet where the last remnants of the old humanoid race have been found. Though only ruins, there was discovered a gate-way that apparently led somewhere. Admiral Picard, having been the first to discover the proto-humanoids, is sent to investigate. He finds another stored message, which says cryptically that the time is at hand for ascension and that all races must be gathered here to achieve the ultimate blessing: The Higher Plain. Chapter Three Upon arriving at Marxus Prime, Edward Shield sneaks away from the Ferengi before they can force payment from him (leading one of them to say "If only he'd been a Ferengi, what a Nagus he would have been!"). The planet is the center of utmost security for the Federation, for this is where commerce is run. Here the rhetorical propaganda of "a complex economy where money does not exist" is shown to be nothing more than breath in a storm. Here the real face of the Federation shows through its own grand delusion: here greed and corruption are supreme. Here Edward Shield has found himself; the number one most wanted man in the Federation on one of the most secure planets in the Federation. He has no way of contacting his allies, so he must find a way off the planet on his own. While at a bar, he barely escapes being noticed by Captain Riker, taking a break with the ''Enterprise'' s first officer and indulging in gambling. While the two are drinking, Riker mentions the discovery of the artifact leading to the Higher Plane, which, apparently, will not open unless the leaders of all the nations of the Alpha and Beta Quadrant come to accept their final evolutionary leap. Riker says that Admiral Picard will be at the ascension personally. While listening, Edward Shield has a flashback to his dream. He fears that he knows what might happen if they do go, but he has no evidence to prove it. He needs to get off Marxus Prime and onto the planet in question. Chapter Four An inebriated Riker leaves his winning ticket at his table, joking that, since money doesn't exist, he has no need of it. Shield takes the ticket, cashes it in (a rather tidy sum of 1500 credits) and attempts to return it to Riker. As a result, he finds his way to the transporter pad on the station, where he beams onto the . While looking for a place to hide, he is captured. Though under Federation decree, he should be killed, when Riker - now sober - learns of his blunder and that Shield saved him, he permits Shield to come with them as far as Icarus AY3. Shield is dumped off at the colony planet, once again with no way of reaching the planet in question or even if the "ascension" has already happened. While on the planet, he discovers a strange ripple in space, which seems to prevent him from leaving the colony. While exploring the colony, he discovers that the people there are just shadows: not even real. He suspects that he was unexpectedly imprisoned on the Titan's holodeck. However, a voice tells him that he was almost right. The illusion fades, and he finds himself standing with a proto-humanoid before a field of bio-pods containing half-alive beings - some human, many alien. The humanoid says that he has stumbled upon The Higher Plain. It is no place of bliss and god-like enlightenment, but a place where those foolish enough to believe in it are now slowly digested in bio-pods to feed the everlong lives of the humanoids they foolishly believed to be their creators. The humanoid says that this was always their plan, and that, now that he knows about it, they can't let him live. Shield asks why they would just kill him for discovering this, and the humanoid says that it would ruin the surprise. Chapter Five Shield fights back, and is able to subdue the humanoid by striking it in the back of its head: its mental powers subdued, it is otherwise weak and feeble. Shield seizes him by the throat and forces him to open the rift to let him out, but then takes him with him. The humanoid calls Shield an ignorant barbarian, and Shield asks if it is barbaric to save a life, not just one life or that of an entire race but of all races? The humanoid says that if all the races of the galaxy had to die for the greater good of the humanoid race, then so be it - furthermore, it says that it would be civilized to allow billions to die for the greater good rather than kill one to save them all. Once outside, Shield orders the humanoid to take him to the planet where the ascension will take place. At the planet, all the leaders of each race have gathered together before a living humanoid, who asks their children to take their first step into the final stage of their evolution. Picard steps out first, hand out-stretched to touch the hand of the humanoid and thereby join the higher plain... When Edward Shield appears out of nowhere with another one of the humanoids at his feet. Shield begs the leaders assembled to stop before they surrender their entire races to unending slavery. Admiral Picard says that Shield is an ignorant, stupid fool whose words are nonsense and asks the others to follow behind him. Shield stands in front of the humanoid and Picard and declares him a hypocrite for holding blind faith in this higher plane and yet calling all other faith backwards and lies. Picard blasphemes God and says that He never came down in person, yet this universal faith is one of science since it is one they can see, examine and know that it is real. Shield brings the captured humanoid forward and orders him to tell them everything. The alien only says you are being deceived, before his companion liquidates him with his mind. Shield asks the people to choose for themselves, whether to risk imprisonment or to be free. One by one, they depart. The living humanoid, angry, disappears, threatening those who have "ruined everything." An angry Picard tries to strangle Shield for taking away from him his only chance of real godhood. Shield shakes him off and rebukes him, saying that if this is what humans have sunk to, then it is better that they never become anything more than what they are. He further says that he has seen the records from the , and knows of Jean-Luc Picard's grudges against Q and the Borg, and says that it is good that the Higher Plane was a hoax, since the universe doesn't need an evil god like Jean-Luc Picard. Edward Shield then walks off into the desert, with Picard shouting threats at him and curses at his God. Once out of sight, Shield decides to return to Marxus Prime, but asks himself the one question that is on his mind... :Now, how do I get off this rock? Category:Star Trek: Conflict Episodes